contest

If you’ve been around HeidiTown for more than a couple years, you’ll remember that I used to write movie reviews here, and I’m a bit of a film buff. I absolutely LOVE the Oscars. I am one of “those people,” and I start watching as soon as the red carpet is rolled out and the limos start arriving.

Last year, I ran a similar contest here, and the winners documented their fantastic night at the Kress Oscar Party through the photographs I’m using for this post. This year, I expect to have a fabulous time at this event and here’s your chance to join me.

The Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley is holding their annual Oscar Party on Sunday, February 26, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. The evening includes a red carpet entry, appetizer buffet, Oscar ballot (cash prize) and the 84th Academy Awards live on the big screen and in the Kress’ lounges.

Guests are encouraged to wear their best Oscar attire. I’m thinking of wearing something by Victoria Beckham, I hear her couture is going to be big this year. I’m kidding, of course. This Mayor gig doesn’t pay that well!

Tickets to this event are $20/each, but this is your chance to be a VIP (with ME) at this glamour affair. You don’t have to attend alongside me or anything like that, but I will be there so I’m hoping that we can at least shake hands for the cameras.

Just tell me your pick for Best Picture 2012, and you’ll be entered to win a pair of tickets to this event courtesy of Kress Cinema & Lounge.

The nominees for Best Picture are Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse, The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and The Help.

If you haven’t seen any of these films yet – shame on you – just tell me your favorite film of this past year.

A winner will be chosen at random this Saturday, February 18 at approximately 2 p.m.

Your ticket to the Battle of the Haunted Houses gets you into both Destination Terror and the Nightmare Experiment. Tickets are $17 (save a $1 by bringing a can of food to donate).

This week, I’m giving 2 lucky winners a pair of tickets each, but this time around you’ll have to work just a little bit. I want to know your favorite scary movie. I have several including The Shining, The Sixth Sense and The Others.

While I’m a wimp, I know a lot of you love being scared witless, so this giveaway is for you. You’ll actually have two chances to win, because I’m going to run this same contest next week.

Just tell me you’d like your name entered into the drawing in the comment section and I’ll randomly pick a winner on Friday around noon.

This winner will receive 4 tickets (a $68 value) to Scream Theme Studios’ Battle of the Haunted Houses. The tickets are good for both The Nightmare Experiment and Destination Terror, located at the Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Several years ago, friends forced me to go to Scream Theme Studios’ Battle of the Haunted Houses at Foothills Mall and quite frankly, it was a frightening experience. Someone had told the actors my name, so the entire time I was on the inside, the actors were whispering and calling “Heidi! Heidi!”

So go ahead and enter this contest, but you have been warned!!! HeidiTown.com is not responsible for peed pants or damaged vocal chords or nightmares.

Here in Colorado, certain things just go together – bikes and beer, hikes and beer, climbing and beer, rafting and beer, skiing and beer, snowboarding and beer, sledding and beer, and dogs and beer. This might explain why the Great American Beer Festival, grand-daddy of all beer festivals, is held yearly in Denver.

The GABF starts this Thursday and runs through Saturday, October 1. In honor of this enormous beer festival featuring 450 breweries and over 2,200 different beers – more than any other beer festival in the world – I’m going to do a giveaway.

No, I didn’t manage to snag tickets, because the event has been sold out for months, but I am going to give one lucky HeidiTown citizen a signed copy of The BrewDogs of Colorado. This book is a beautiful tribute to the brewers of Colorado and the dogs who love them.

With a forward by former brewery owner and now Governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, the book covers breweries from all across the state, including anecdotes about the dogs that have played a significant part in the brewers’ lives and notes about each brewery’s most famous beer, including medals and honors they have received.

To win a copy of The BrewDogs of Colorado, just tell me your favorite breed of dog, and if you feel inspired, tell me why that is your favorite breed – and yes, “mixed” is a breed. My “forever” dog, as I used to call him, was a “mixed” breed. I got him when I was five-year-old and he passed away during my first year of college. He was one of the most special dogs I’ve ever owned.

The winner will be chosen at noon on Friday, September 30. Good luck!

Note: If you were lucky enough to secure a ticket to GABF, look for The BrewDogs booth – they have some great merchandise!

Summer is quickly coming to a close… were you able to make the most of it? I certainly hope so. Here’s another chance to enjoy the last moments of summer with some delicious wine, food and music.

It’s the 4th Annual WineDown the Summer at Chapungu Sculpture Park in Loveland, Colorado. This sculpture park is an oasis just east of the Promenade Shops at Centerra, and the perfect place to celebrate the end of a lovely Colorado summer. The park includes over eighty Shona African stone sculpture and I highly recommend bringing your camera because the landscape is breathtaking – especially at sunset.

This event takes place on Friday, September 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

WineDown the Summer is a wine tasting event that also features food from various local restaurants, beer for those non-wine drinkers and music. This year’s band is the Adam Bodine Trio, a jazz group.

A portion of the event proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Partners Mentoring Youth. The proceeds will be applied to Partners Christmas for Kids event taking place on December 3, 2011. Christmas for Kids provides 200 Junior Partners with an unforgettable holiday experience with their Senior Partners not typically experienced in their homes.

Now here is your chance to win tickets to this enchanted summer evening of wine, music and food.

Just leave me a comment here on the blog and tell me your favorite memory from this summer and be entered to win two tickets to WineDown the Summer. The winner will be chosen at random this Friday at 3 p.m. Good luck!

NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS: If you are receiving post via email, you must head over to the blog www.HeidiTown.com to leave your comment.

Food and beer pairings will be available again this year presented by Beer Ambassadors from Anheuser-Busch. These “mini-tastings” will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis and held every 30 minutes from 2 to 5 p.m.

Tickets to Gnarly Barley Brew Festival are $15 and include a 4 oz. tasting mug and six tasting tokens. Additional tokens may be purchased at the fest for $1/each. Tickets are on sale now at ComcastTix. The event runs from 1 to 6 p.m.

Thankfully, for thirsty HeidiTown residents and tourists I have two pairs of Gnarly Barley Brew Festival tickets to giveaway. Enter by leaving me a comment and telling me what beer is in your fridge right now (and if you don’t have beer in your fridge perhaps you shouldn’t be allowed to win these tickets). 🙂

Two winners will be chosen at random on Friday at 3 p.m.

Good luck! And bottoms up!

***CONTEST NOW CLOSED***

WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMENT SECTION. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

This year, Summerfest in the Rockies will kick off on July 8, 2011 with Spirits at Sunset. This is a twist on their usual wine tasting event. With a unique new distillery now open in Loveland, as well as a new brewery, the organizers thought it would be fun to highlight these two small businesses.

The evening will be an interactive beer and spirits tasting with drinks provided by Dancing Pines Distillery and Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (two of the Mayor’s favorites!). The soiree will feature food by Taste Catering infused with liquors from DP and beers from Grimm. Dessert will be provided by I Dream of Cupcakes. After Midnight, an award winning jazz and swing band, will set the mood for this spectacular evening.

Guests at this event will witness the unveiling of the newest Loveland HeART, sponsored by Ozzie’s Body Shop.

This event will be held Friday, July 8, at the Foote Lagoon in downtown Loveland, Colorado from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Admission to Spirits at Sunset is $35/person and $55/couple, and tickets can be purchased here.

I’m very excited to be giving away a pair of tickets to this exclusive event. Just leave a comment telling me why you’d like to attend Spirits at Sunset. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, June 24 at 3 p.m.

Father’s Day is less than two weeks away, so I thought it was the perfect time for this giveaway.

Fly-fishing is a popular Colorado pastime, and for good reason. The Colorado Rockies provide some of the most pristine rivers in the world, and some of the best are in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Coloradoan Steve Schweitzer started hiking and fishing RMNP eleven years ago. He kept meticulous notes about his hikes and the fish he caught. These trips and notes became the inspiration for “A Fly Fishing Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park.”

Schweitzer’s book was released in February 2011, and features 260 photographs, and 150 destinations along 48 trail systems with RMNP. It outlines each hike, including information on trail difficulty.

“It’s as much of a hiking guide as a fishing guide,” Schweitzer said.

First and foremost, the book answers the question, “Where do I want to fish today?” The book has ten tools to help answer this question. It also includes fully illustrated, full color topographic maps, tips for anglers, hatch charts and a detailed pattern listing for over 100 unique and highly effective flies.

For the Colorado fly fisherman of fisherwoman, “A Fly Fishing Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park” is a must-read. For the rest of us, it’s a beautiful book about one of America’s greatest national parks and is full of helpful hiking information.

This week you have the chance to win a signed copy of this book here at HeidiTown.com. To be entered, you must tell me your favorite “fish story” in the comment story below. If you don’t have a fish story, make one up!

A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, June 10 at 3 p.m.

Here’s an example of a true fish story. My dad, younger brother and I were fishing a river in northwest Washington State, and because I was still learning the art of fly fishing, my line kept getting caught in a bush near the river’s edge. Frustrated, I blurted out the “f” word. I froze. Under no circumstance was this acceptable language in my family. However, my dad simply looked at me, shook his head and went back to fishing – leaving me to untangle the line from the bush.

To get a sneak peak inside the “A Fly Fishing Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park,” or to place a book order, visit www.flyfishingrmnp.com.

I never cease to be amazed at the sheer amount of quality live music available in Northern Colorado. Music festivals happen here year round from Fort Collins to Greeley.

On June 10, one of Colorado’s most anticipated music events will kick off. The Greeley Blues Jam is a nationally recognized blues festival held every year at Island Grove Arena in Greeley, Colorado.

The Greeley Chamber of Commerce and the City of Greeley host the event, laying down 45,000 square feet of fresh green sod on the arena floor creating the perfect dance floor for bare feet of all ages. One of my twitter buddies said this is, “the best dance floor in the world,” and she should know, her husband plays in two Colorado bands.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, June 10, with free music at 9th Street Plaza and other venues in downtown Greeley, including restaurants and bars. Blues talent from around Colorado will be showcased from 11:30 a.m. until the late hours of the evening.

The Back Stage line up includes Erica Brown, the Otone Brass Band, Big Jim Adam, John Stilwagen, and Another Kind of Magick.

The Greeley Blues Jam is a festival for the entire family and shouldn’t be missed. Get all the information on the event at their website: www.greeleybluesfest.com.

I’m super excited to be giving away a pair of tickets to this event. You can enter to win tickets by leaving a comment below. Be sure to include your favorite live music memory, whether it was a concert under the stars, or a sing-a-long around the campfire. A winner will be chosen at random this Thursday (May 26) at 10 a.m.

Good luck! And as always, if you aren’t a winner, you can still attend by purchasing tickets at www.greeleybluesfest.com. Tickets are currently $25, and $30 at the door.

A Note from the Mayor: Be sure to visit the blues jam website for a chance to win a new Dobro Hound Dog acoustic guitar! You can also follow the Greeley Blues Jam on Facebook here.

Boys, put on your zoot suit and winged tipped shoes and girls, get out the hot iron. It’s time for the 1940s WWII Era Ball at Boulder Airport. This unique event caught my eye several years ago, and last year we bought tickets for my in-laws to attend. They had a blast, so this year, the Mayor will be putting on her dancing shoes and joining the party!

The 1940s WWII Era Ball is a salute to “The Greatest Generation,” and this year’s event will be held Saturday, June 18, 2011. The schedule of events includes everything from swing lessons, a paratrooper skydiving reenactment, hula dancers, a USO style show with celebrity impersonators, dancing to the Hot Tomatoes big band and so much more. The evening also promises to deliver spontaneous 1940s reenactments throughout the night.

Guests will have the opportunity to get up and personal with real planes from WWII, and can even arrange to get a ride in a TBM Avenger or a Stearman Biplane. Other planes that will be at the event include the Staggerwing, the T6 Texan, the T-28, The Beech 18 WWII trainer plane, and the Fairchild P23.

Photo courtesy of www.1940sball.org on Facebook. This photo was taken at the 2009 event.

Ball guests are encouraged to dress in period clothing. Last week I stopped by Rockin’ Robin’s Retro & Retail Store in Niwot, and discovered some perfect vintage outfits for the ball. If you are in need of the proper WWII era outfit, be sure to shop at Rockin’ Robins.

And now for the really good part”¦ the Mayor of HeidiTown.com is giving away a pair of tickets to the 1940s WWII Era Ball! This is a $60 value. If you’d like to be entered into the contest, please let me know that you were here by leaving a comment and telling me one of the names of the many WWII era planes that will be at the Boulder Airport during the ball.

A winner will be chosen in a random drawing on Friday, May 13 at 10 a.m.